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Monday, February 07, 2011

Headchopper 'Mo' Hassan Found Guilty

The poor guy. Portrayed by his defense attorney (himself) that he was a victim "psychological rape" who was "a slave, prisoner and hostage in his marriage." So the only recourse he had was to cut his wife's head off.

A jury of eight men and four women has found Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing and beheading of his wife, Aasiya, in February 2009.

The jury reached its verdict after 14 days of testimony and arguments spread over the course of three weeks in Erie County Court. The verdict carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 9.

The jury took only 50 minutes to deliberate, clearly moved by the mountain of evidence and eyewitness testimony presented by prosecutors Colleen Curtin Gable and Paul Bonanno that Hassan was a longtime abuser who methodically planned the brutal, blood-soaked attack on his wife in the darkened hallway of the Bridges TV studio.

In handing up its guilty verdict, the jury also repudiated the claims of Hassan, 46, that he — not his wife — was the victim of battered spouse syndrome.

The verdict wraps up weeks of drama and astounding legal maneuvers in a case in which the man charged with murder ultimately took over his own defense and claimed the witness stand for four days as he dragged jurors through his observations during the course of his eight-year marriage.

During his two-hour closing statement, Hassan repeatedly told jurors that the prosecution was building its case solely based on vindictive falsehoods spread by his wife, Aasiya, in the last two years of their marriage.

"All these people are hearing stories," he told the jury in closing arguments. "They want you to believe stories are evidence. They have no witnesses."

He also said the judge, prosecutors, police officers and medical professionals who have testified against him are doing so based on their preconceived notion that only women can be abuse victims. In closing arguments, he referred to their adherence to a "religion of patriarchy."

He pointed out that before the last two years of his marriage, he had a "perfect record" and was known to police as "soft-spoken," "respectful" and "polite" man.

"Suddenly, in the last two years, there's a skyscraper of complaints. Did I suddenly have a major personality change?" he asked.

He also accused Aasiya of using their children as weapons and pawns in their marriage, and for heaping rage, threats and insults upon him. But to the outside world, she seemed a lovely woman.

"Only the victim sees the evil side," he said. "The world does not."

Hassan finished by saying he was the victim of "psychological rape" and likened himself to a slave, prisoner and hostage in his marriage.